As part of the Agora of the 66th TIFF, the discussion titled “Case Study: The Great Chimera, a European series co-production in practice” was held on Saturday, November 1st at the Thessaloniki Music Center about the highly anticipated adaptation of M. Karagatsis’ The Great Chimera for the small screen. The producers of the series took part in the discussion, namely Pier Giorgio Bellocchio from the Italian production company Mompracem, Ferdinand Dohna, Head of Content and Co-Production at Beta Film and Stelios Cotionis from Foss Productions, as well as Maria Kozakou, Program General Manager at ERT. The discussion was moderated by film critic from Flix.gr and Nova, Poly Lykourgou.
The Head of the Agora, Angeliki Vergou, welcomed the speakers and the audience to the first Agora talk of the 66th edition, warmly thanking the Municipality of Thessaloniki for providing the Music Center, as well as the Festival’s sponsors. At that point, the moderator of the discussion Poly Lykourgou mentioned that “The Great Chimera” is one of the truly great works of Greek literature and that it is a great joy to be able to talk with the key figures who brought this bold and ambitious project to life. The screening of the series’ trailer followed, giving the audience a first glimpse of what the final result will look like.
Maria Kozakou stated that the Chimera’s importance lies in the synergy, but also the conflict, between East and West, a condition that sketches a very vivid portrait of Greek society. She added that this film adaptation is a major cultural moment for Greece, which embodies ERT’s mission to bring Greek culture to the forefront and present it to today’s audience. Stelios Cotionis mentioned that the series’ production was indeed a fairly difficult procedure, but the team made it work. He added that, when he watched the first episode for the first time, he thought to himself that this was the series he had been dreaming of. Ferdinand Dohna further noted that he took a risk with Chimera at Beta Film, but he placed his trust in Stelios and his clear vision on this project. For his part, the Italian producer Pier Giorgio Bellocchio went on to add that working with Foss Productions had been an important and enjoyable experience, which allowed him and his colleagues to discover and further explore the human core which is shared by the two neighbouring countries, Greece and Italy.
Certain questions from the audience followed, regarding the possibility of a film adaptation and the distribution of the series in other countries. At the same time, it was noted that “The Great Chimera” is the first Greek production to involve an intimacy coordinator, a professional who designs and oversees scenes of intimacy, ensuring the consent and safety of the actors.
